The
Fastfind standard 406MHz Personal Location Beacon
has all the features of the Fastfind Plus but
without GPS. The 406MHz frequency provides an
alert signal to the rescue services within 90
minutes maximum, depending on satellite passes and
gives a positional accuracy within 3nm. Once in
the vicinity the 121.5MHz transmitter provides a
signal for the rescue services to home-in on. This
information is more than sufficient to enable
rescue services to find a vessel or individual in
distress particularly if equipped with flares and
lifejacket light.

The
Fastfind Personal Location Beacons feature the
same advanced technology as found in the award
winning Rescue and Precision 406 GPS EPIRBs.
Designed using miniaturized components to fit into
an aesthetically styled compact casing both
versions employ a simple three-stage manual
operation and feature user replaceable battery
packs, which are available for use in temperatures
of -4 and -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Carrying
the Fastfind could not be simpler, there are a
number of easy fixing options which either come as
standard or as optional extras. Bother versions
are supplied with a lanyard and designer carry
case to enable the user to keep the PLB safely
attached at all times.

These
latest advanced products from McMurdo/Pains-Wessex
have been designed to provide recreational and
professional boaters, aviators as well as
outdoorsmen with the very best chance of being
found without delay at sea in an emergency.

Each PLB is
programmed with its own 15-character Unique
Identification Number (UIN)
that uniquely identifies its owner and instantly
provides emergency contact information to
rescuers. When the PLB is activated, its digital
406 MHz signal is received by a constellation of
10 COSPAS-SARSAT satellites in polar orbits, each
of which makes an orbital pass every 90 minutes.
Using the Doppler shift technique, the satellites
take a precise fix on the origin of the signal.

The distress
signal with its UIN and Doppler position (and
possibly GPS coordinates if the PLB transmitted
them) is stored by the satellite. As soon as the
satellite passes over the next available ground
monitoring station, or Local User Terminal (LUT),
this information is downlinked. The LUT forwards
the data to a Mission Control Center where it is
verified that the signal is from an actual
emergency.

One major
advantage of a 406 PLB (compared to the
older-technology 121.5/243.0 MHz ELTs) is that it
provides unique identification information to
rescue forces, so they can call the emergency
contact numbers provided by the PLB owner and find
out what to expect. Another advantage is that a
406 MHz PLB greatly reduces the time it takes to
get to an individual in distress. Because of the
satellite's sophisticated tracking capability, a
Doppler position accuracy of one-half-mile is
possible, narrowing down the search area
considerably.

Registering your
PLB

When you purchase a
406 MHz PLB, you must fill out a registration form
and forward it to the appropriate agency -- in the
U.S., it's the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). On the form, you provide
the make, model, and 15-character unique
identification number (UIN) of your PLB, your
name, address, phone number, and primary and
alternate 24-hour emergency contact phone numbers.

This information
is entered into a database accessible at the
Mission Control Center, so that if your PLB is
ever activated, your information will immediately
pop up on a computer screen at the MCC. Personnel
at the MCC will then attempt to contact you and
your designated emergency contacts to establish
that your distress signal is genuine (and not a
false-alarm), and to find out everything they can
about your whereabouts and situation. This
information will then be passed on to the
appropriate local search-and-rescue agency.